Trump is LOSING MAGA control with “unhinged” actions

[0:05] Greetings. Well, the good news is that Donald Trump did not bomb a whole civilization back to the Stone Ages last week. [0:13] Bars on the floor. [0:14] Okay, as he said he was going to do, which many experts have said constituted a genocidal statement, a war crime. [0:21] So, thank goodness. The bad news is the Strait of Hormuz is still closed, Eugene. [0:27] But now, everyone, it is us who closed it. [0:30] Why are we blockading the Strait while one of our ceasefire demands is that it opens? [0:35] So, first it was Iran. Now, we're blockading it because that makes sense. [0:39] And is it a real blockade or not? We're going to get into it. [0:42] Lots of questions. [0:43] I mean, how are we keeping the ships from going out there? Mine's apparently in the Strait of Hormuz. [0:46] All up and down the Strait. [0:47] The gas is up. There's a lot of questions, okay? [0:51] Why wouldn't Lebanon be included in the ceasefire? Were they? And somebody just didn't tell Israel? [0:57] Is the new Ayatollah in charge of Iran? Where is he? Have we seen him on camera? [1:01] Apparently, he's messed up. They said that his face is disfigured, according to reports. [1:05] From the bombing. [1:06] From the bombings. That happens sometimes. [1:07] My biggest question is, I don't know, does Donald Trump think he's Jesus? [1:11] For people that maybe missed it, the president posted an AI image of himself healing, okay? [1:19] Someone that is sick, okay? You can make your own inferences about who that looks like. [1:25] And this happened on Sunday night. And then he took it down Monday morning. [1:29] There was lots of consternation about this entire thing. [1:33] We are going to get into it. It was... There was issues in right-wing circles. [1:38] There were issues in Catholic circles. There were issues in non-Catholic circles. [1:41] There was issues in my circles. Okay? [1:43] Trump's had a lot of different things about it. We're going to get into it. We're going to play the sound. [1:48] But I just want to point out, whatever is going on spiritually with the president, here's the reality. [1:53] It costs $5.89 to buy a gallon of regular gas in California. That's crazy. [1:57] Uh-huh. It's very expensive. $4.61 in Chi-town. $3.84 in Atlanta. [2:04] And for those of you in Omaha, Nebraska... [2:06] Shout out to the one. [2:07] ...$3.54. [2:08] It's crazy. [2:09] Now, that's unleaded. That's the regular gas. [2:13] You know how much premium it costs in D.C. this week? She knows. [2:15] It was $5.23, and that's on the low end, depending on what gas station you go to. [2:20] One of them gas stations in Maryland down the street from a lash lady, which I'm going to after this. [2:24] It was definitely still $6.19. [2:27] The lashes look good, though, still. [2:29] Oh, no. These are not gonna last for my vacation. [2:31] The left one is struggling. [2:32] Yeah, they're hanging on for dear life, okay? It's a little... It's been stressful. [2:36] Between the bombings, the gas, Donald Trump's tweets or posts on social. [2:43] Too much. [2:44] My allergies, okay? My mental health. [2:46] These lashes is barely holding on. [2:48] I also think we should get into what Democrats should do if they win back power at all, [2:54] because there's been a lot of, you know, new wins as of late, and the midterms are coming up. [2:58] Don't forget about the midterms, folks. [3:00] And also why Coachella is looking a little dystopian this year. [3:04] Terrible. [3:05] And then we are going to put that to the side and welcome Cleo Wade! [3:09] Yes! My girl Cleo! [3:11] Cleo is a best-selling poet, long-time activist. [3:15] You know, the New York Times once called her the Millennial Oprah. [3:18] We love that. [3:19] We need her work when this news is ridiculous. [3:21] Cleo is literally a poet for the times. [3:23] I'm looking for some oneness. [3:24] Yes. [3:25] Let's get into the news first, so we can get to Cleo Wade sooner rather than later. [3:29] We gotta talk about the Pope, who is now having a little bit of a beef with Trump's social media defendants. [3:35] Is it a beef? Is it a beef or is the Pope standing up for the teachings of Jesus as taught by Catholicism? [3:42] Now, I'm not Catholic. [3:43] No. [3:44] I grew up Baptist and I'm currently AME. [3:45] Yes. [3:46] Shout out to AME. [3:47] War Memorial, tap in. [3:48] But I went to Catholic school my entire life. [3:50] Yes. [3:51] From kindergarten all the way up through college, okay? [3:54] You give Catholic school. [3:55] I... [3:56] Just like last week, auntie was a slur. [3:59] I think that that was a derogatory term you just lobbed at me. [4:02] You give very, like, get hit with the rulers and then have to... [4:05] Oh, my gosh. I didn't go to that kind of... [4:06] You know what? I went to charm school twice. That's why I give polish. [4:08] Oh, I see. I see. [4:09] My mama sent me twice. [4:11] Because it didn't take the first time. [4:12] It didn't take the first... [4:13] But let's listen to Trump on Monday at the White House. [4:15] Okay, because I have thoughts. [4:16] Yes. [4:17] No, it wasn't a picture. [4:18] It was me. [4:19] I did post it. [4:20] And I thought it was me as a doctor. [4:22] And had to do with Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. [4:27] And only the fake news could come up with that one. [4:30] So I had... [4:31] I had... [4:32] I just heard about it. [4:34] And I said, how did they come up with that? [4:37] It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better. [4:40] And I do make people better. [4:41] I make people a lot better. [4:43] What doctor? [4:44] It looks like that. [4:45] My Jesus is a healer. [4:47] Okay. [4:48] Okay. [4:49] So, okay. [4:50] He's a healer. [4:51] Okay. [4:52] Jehovah Jireh, my provider. [4:53] So, he thinks he's slick. [4:55] I wanna know who we're... [4:56] No, he thinks we're stupid. [4:57] Well, that... [4:58] Yes. [4:59] That's what he thinks we're stupid. [5:00] He thinks we are stupid. [5:01] I wanna know what the conversation was in the Oval Office with the President [5:04] before he walked out there to give us this bullshit. [5:06] That was crazy. [5:08] Here's the timeline for people who are wondering. [5:09] Okay. [5:10] Pete Hegseth has been invoking Jesus often in his public statements on the war. [5:14] This is what he said at a Pentagon press conference last month. [5:18] Now, mind you, Eugene, this is the day after the six service members were killed in Operation [5:23] Epic Fury. [5:24] It was the day after that they were brought home. [5:26] Yeah. [5:27] He said this. [5:28] To the American people, please pray for them every day, on bended knee, with your family, [5:35] in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ. [5:41] And Pope Leo, the first American pope, he's from Chi-town, has been speaking against [5:46] the war, as popes tend to do, during homilies at Sunday Mass, including on Palm Sunday in [5:52] St. Peter's Square, when he said this in Italian. [5:54] We're gonna say it because a lot of y'all probably don't speak Italian. [5:57] We don't. [5:58] How do you know I don't speak Italian? [5:59] Do you? [6:01] Say something. [6:02] Grazie. [6:03] He says, [6:07] Very specific. [6:28] Now, there are people that have said that the pope seems to be contradicting Pete Hegseth's [6:34] interpretation of Jesus' word. [6:36] I think the pope was speaking directly to just what we know to be true, if you have [6:41] actually ever gone to a Catholic anything. [6:43] And if I have to pick who is interpreting Jesus correctly, Pete Hegseth or the pope? [6:48] I'm going with the pope! [6:49] I'm going with the pope! [6:50] It's not a difficult question. [6:51] It is literally... [6:52] Okay, so that happened. [6:53] And then, this Sunday on 60 Minutes, not the Sunday that's coming up, the Sunday that [6:57] just passed, they aired a segment on the pope. [7:00] And it was featuring multiple American cardinals. [7:03] And this is, frankly, the first time that these cardinals have sat down together for an interview. [7:08] And the cardinals were saying the Iran conflict is not a just war. [7:12] This is the Cardinal of Washington, D.C., Robert McElroy. [7:15] Is this a just war? [7:17] No. [7:19] Under Catholic teaching, this is not a just war. [7:21] Catholic faith teaches us there are certain prerequisites for a just war. [7:26] You can't go for a variety of different aims. [7:29] You have to have a focused aim, which is to restore justice and restore peace. [7:35] We're seeing before us the possibility of war after war after war. [7:41] The fact that there's an actual definition to what a just war is, that is the difference [7:45] between what Donald Trump and Pete Hexeth are saying and what the pope is saying. [7:48] The pope is looking at a literal definition of what a just war is. [7:53] The pope is looking at all of his teachings, okay? [7:55] Right. [7:56] He wasn't just picked out of nowhere. [7:57] It wasn't an accident. [7:58] It wasn't an accident. [7:59] He knows what he's doing. [8:00] Okay, so about 90 minutes later, Trump posts this giant paragraph on True Social, [8:04] because he has nothing better to do. [8:06] This is part of what he says. [8:07] Pope Leo was weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy. [8:10] I don't want a pope who thinks it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, [8:14] and I don't want a pope who criticizes the President of the United States [8:17] because I'm doing exactly what I was elected in a landslide to do, [8:21] setting record low numbers in crime and creating the greatest stock market in history. [8:25] First of all, the pope ain't never advocate for a nuclear Iran. [8:28] The pope said none of that. [8:29] The pope talked about peace and a just war, and Donald Trump, like a hit dog, hollered. [8:33] Loudly. [8:34] Very loudly. [8:35] So, the pope was on a flight on Monday morning. [8:38] Listen to what he had to say. [8:39] I have no feeling in the administration nor speaking out loudly about the message of the [8:44] gospel, and that's what I believe. [8:47] I am called to do what the church is called to do. [8:49] We're not politicians. [8:52] We're not willing to make foreign policy, as he calls it, with the same perspective that [8:57] he might understand it. [8:59] But I do believe that the message of the gospel, the blessed are the peacemakers, [9:04] is the message that the world needs to hear today. [9:06] Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. [9:09] I went to all the Bible studies, and I was paying attention in theology class. [9:14] By Monday night, the vice president of the United States of America had weighed in. [9:17] By Monday night, the vice president of the United States of America had weighed in. [9:18] Apparently, he was sent out on Fox. [9:19] To some clean-up or something? [9:20] Been there on a clean-up crew in the vice president's team. [9:23] Not on this one, but I've been there. [9:25] This is a clean-up on aisle seven that the vice president had to do, saying everybody missed [9:31] the point, apparently. [9:32] It really caused a kerfuffle, Mr. Vice President. [9:34] I'm just wondering what you make of all of this, and whether it's what you think of this [9:40] back and forth with the church? [9:42] Well, first of all, Brett, I think the president was posting a joke. [9:45] And, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren't understanding [9:49] his humor in that case. [9:51] I think the president of the United States likes to mix it up on social media. [9:55] And I actually think that's one of the good things about this president is that he's not filtered. [9:59] He doesn't send everything through a communications professional. [10:02] He actually reaches out directly to the people. [10:04] Let's be very clear. [10:07] There is nothing funny about trying to use God, the Word of God, as an excuse to go to war. [10:16] So that's one. [10:17] There is nothing Christian about idolatry. [10:22] There is nothing Christian about putting yourself in the cloth, looking like Jesus, not a damn doctor. [10:31] That's a classic Jesus depiction, okay? [10:33] Everybody know that outfit. [10:34] With the red scarf, the white robe. [10:36] That is Jesus. [10:37] Come on now. [10:38] Laying hands. [10:39] That's what he was doing. [10:40] So don't pretend. [10:41] Look at the picture. [10:42] Don't pretend like we're stupid because folks realized what it was. [10:45] And whether or not the president himself posted it or... [10:48] No, but the president said he posted it. [10:50] Exactly. [10:51] He done already took credit for it. [10:52] And then he took it down because this thing, if it was such a joke, they'd leave it. [10:56] But the reason that they took it down was because it really pissed off folks on the right who are Christian, who say they're Christian. [11:03] And even for some of them, they're like, you know, this is a little bit too far. [11:06] I'm not going nowhere. [11:07] I will support him forever, apparently, because that's what they do. [11:10] That is what they've continued to do. [11:11] But they spoke out against it. [11:13] It didn't cause just like a kerfuffle with the media or the left and Democrats said it. [11:18] Largely, it was Christians and Republicans on the right. [11:21] I think the reason everybody is really so mad about it is because he's so bold about it. [11:26] This idea that Trump is divinely touched by God. [11:29] There's always been this thread of Christian nationalism. [11:32] Trump is divinely here. [11:33] I've been chosen. [11:34] And supporters, if you go to Trump rallies, this was late in 2022, Eugene. [11:38] This is right after Trump announced he would run for president for a second time. [11:42] Do you think this should be a Christian country? [11:45] Oh, I do. [11:46] I do. [11:47] We were founded on God and Democrats are taking them away, taking them out of the school. [11:54] We founded America on God. [11:56] And why would you try to destroy that and take it out of the schools and try to teach our [12:00] children something that's... [12:01] That's what I mean about separation of church and state. [12:04] It shouldn't be, though. [12:06] Open up civics. [12:07] Open up civics. [12:08] Open up the school. [12:09] Where's the... [12:10] Open the floodgates. [12:11] Let us... [12:12] Let them in. [12:13] This is from the Young Turks. [12:14] They went and talked to some folks. [12:16] This is a... [12:17] This has been a part on the other right for a long time. [12:19] Mm-hmm. [12:20] But it's grown over and over. [12:21] And Donald Trump has been a part of that growing. [12:23] Which is interesting, because when I think of Donald Trump and Christianity, I think [12:27] of that moment when he's standing outside of the church. [12:29] After they cleared his path with tear gas, protesters, he'd go out and take a photo op in front of a historic church? [12:34] A church, uh-huh. [12:35] Okay. [12:36] And then he puts it up. [12:37] And they say... [12:38] The reporter says, President, is that your Bible? [12:41] He says, it's a Bible. [12:42] So I just feel like that tells you a lot about how much work he does when it comes to that. [12:46] But the president of the United States has used and continues to use Christianity to make excuses for a lot of things. [12:54] And frankly, there are a lot of white evangelicals that I've talked to... [12:57] This has been a part of Trumpism from the beginning, though. [12:59] From the very beginning. [13:00] From the beginning. [13:01] They know that Donald Trump, the kinds of things he does, the way he operates, isn't exactly always in line with the teachings of the Bible. [13:08] And they have also made a bet, to be clear, white evangelicals have made a bet that, you know, there are things we have wanted. [13:14] And Donald Trump seems like the way to do that. [13:16] Tim Alberta from The Atlantic wrote an entire book about this. [13:19] He writes about this all the time. [13:20] He is a former white evangelical family in the Midwest. [13:23] And it is so key to understanding Trumpism in this moment in time between him and his one-sided beef with the Pope. [13:31] And people just... [13:32] We just can never allow ourselves to be surprised. [13:35] I will continue to be... [13:37] Shocked. [13:38] ...outraged and shocked by the extraordinary so it does not become ordinary. [13:42] But, like, lest we be... [13:44] Lest we not act like this hasn't been a thread this entire time and they have not been doing this. [13:48] They laid it out in Project 2025. [13:50] Yeah. [13:51] We need to talk about a nuclear family. [13:52] All of those things are elements of Christian nationalism. [13:55] White Christian nationalism. [13:57] These are white Christian nationalist evangelicals, to be very clear. [14:01] Like, these aren't like the Baptist preachers. [14:03] This isn't the pastor over at Alpha Street over in Alexandria, Virginia, okay? [14:07] Where they raising money to keep people from being put out, okay? [14:11] They raise a million dollars to keep people from being, uh... [14:13] That's amazing. [14:14] What is it called? Evicted. [14:15] Evicted, yes. [14:16] Yes, yes, yes. I've seen the notices. [14:17] Yes, yes. [14:18] So, my grandfather was a Baptist preacher. [14:20] Was he? Fun fact. [14:21] Yes, in South Carolina. South Carolina. [14:23] So, you grew up Baptist, you know? [14:24] Yes, and my mom's AME. [14:26] So, like, we, you know... [14:27] You were sitting here like you didn't identify. [14:29] No, I identify. I identify. [14:32] Uh, so we go to church a lot. [14:34] And they, especially when we go home. [14:36] But growing up as a kid, like, that same reverence you're supposed to have [14:42] of God and Jesus and the teachings, [14:45] it just sometimes feels completely conflicting with how Donald Trump operates. [14:52] And when you think about Democrats, I think one of the biggest mistakes Democrats did [14:57] is they ceded religion to the right. [14:59] Yeah, that's true. [15:00] For a very long time. [15:01] They're trying to claw back now. [15:02] They're trying, right? [15:03] There's people like Raphael Warnock literally preaching in the pulpit. [15:05] Literally a pastor. [15:07] He leaves on Fridays because he got to go to church on Sunday. [15:10] Been to the church. [15:11] But, like, the ability to touch people, meet people where they are, like you say, [15:16] the Bible studies, the barbershops and the beauty salons. [15:18] Come on. [15:19] Going to do that, it is much easier when you understand where people are coming from. [15:23] And the difference between what I think Raphael Warnock, for example, does, [15:26] he uses Christianity and the teachings of God to make people better morale on a moral level. [15:33] It's not like a political thing. He separates those two things. [15:36] That is not what's happening with Donald Trump in the right. [15:38] No, and it is a very specific brand of... [15:41] When we're talking about religion, like, there are... [15:43] Also, nuclear family. Not my family. [15:45] Come on. [15:46] No, they talk about us. [15:48] You have a... But look, you're a stepmother. [15:50] I am a stepmother. [15:51] Not your family either, probably. [15:52] Yeah, because they said I need to birth some children. [15:53] Okay. [15:54] And I can tell you, it's empty. [15:56] There's nothing in here right now. [15:58] So, I'm just saying, like, truly. [16:00] That is empty. [16:01] It is empty. [16:02] It's empty. [16:03] It's crazy. [16:04] It is. [16:05] I will just note that, like, his disrespect for religion is not relegated just to Christians. [16:11] Like, he disrespected Muslims. [16:12] He's disrespected the Jewish community. [16:14] He's an equal opportunity offender here. [16:16] But the MAGA coalition, the point that you made, I think, is really important. [16:20] That there are fissures and fractures. [16:22] And when Trump posted a picture of himself as Jesus, the MAGA people took to social media and they were rebuking him. [16:28] Everybody from Marjorie Taylor Greene to Michael Knowles to a very problematic person, Milo Yiannopoulos. [16:35] Yes. [16:36] Sneeko, Riley Gaines. [16:38] They were not having it, child. [16:41] And the thing is, we had this conversation when we were talking about the show. [16:45] It's like, it's a line. [16:46] A line for what? [16:47] And this is not the first time that he's done something like this. [16:50] Yeah. [16:51] And so... [16:52] My line was the Central Park Five, to be clear. [16:53] Well, that happened a very long time ago. [16:55] Or the Exonerated Five. [16:56] Exonerated Five now. [16:57] But at the end of the day, they're going back to him. [17:00] There's no repercussions for it. [17:02] And I just imagine and know that people who are idolaters, right? [17:07] Going to heaven is gonna be a difficult one. [17:09] So that's gonna be a... [17:10] You gotta talk to the man about that. [17:11] We will have to speak to the man. [17:13] I know we're moving on. [17:14] Good luck to them. [17:15] I know we're moving on, but the question becomes... [17:17] Some of these people speaking out, like the... [17:19] Who are against the war and everything, like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens. [17:22] These are folks that were for Trump from the very beginning, [17:24] when everybody thought he was just a joke in 2015. [17:26] And so then they joined the coalition. [17:28] Now we see them looking for excuses to leave [17:30] and try to separate themselves. [17:31] Because they see it's almost over. [17:32] Come on, it's gonna be like that man that just won now. [17:34] People are not gonna like this equivocation, but... [17:37] The gentleman that just won, that just beat Viktor Orban in Hungary. [17:40] He used to be a member of the very conservative coalition. [17:43] He left the conservative coalition because of the corruption. [17:45] But he's still a conservative. [17:47] Mm-hmm. [17:48] Clock that. [17:49] Very true. [17:50] Very true. [17:51] Let's move on. [17:52] This is exhausting. [17:53] Let's talk about the piece you published on Monday on MS Now. [17:55] Yes, I was writing. [17:56] Shout out to Madeline Arringer. [17:57] We work around here. [17:58] We work around here. [17:59] The headline is first, is Democrats need to start planning now for return to power. [18:03] I know that you're feeling... [18:04] Let me pull my piece up. [18:05] Look, I know you're feeling optimistic about the midterms. [18:08] I have written... [18:09] It's not just me. [18:10] No, and... [18:11] John Thune today is saying that, um... [18:13] Literally, he just told reporters, about an hour before we were recording this, [18:17] that they are ready, they as in Republicans in the United States Senate, [18:20] are ready to move on a Supreme Court nominee before the midterms for Samuel Alito [18:25] if he decides to step down. [18:27] Because now they believe, they have a credible fear that Democrats could take the Senate. [18:31] And what's really interesting to me is that, like, [18:34] the writing has been on the wall for a while, right? [18:36] Not just the excitement on the Democratic side in these different elections, special elections, [18:41] but also the leadership and having to figure out what they're actually going to do. [18:45] One of the things that I wrote about months ago was, [18:49] if y'all do take power, what are y'all gonna do? [18:52] One of the things that I heard over and over is that they can't keep promising [18:56] the way they've done in the past things that can't happen. [18:58] They're not gonna lean on impeachment. [19:00] Now, they will talk about investigations, what those investigations look like. [19:03] Who should be getting investigated? [19:05] But, like, the bills, if they don't have 60 Democrats in the Senate, [19:09] they ain't passing nothing from the House and the Senate. [19:11] So, like, they're still gonna have to be a little working with Republicans. [19:14] But at the end of the day, they should tell the American people [19:17] what they're going to do. [19:18] They've said over and over, we're gonna try and do it. [19:20] We've yet to see. [19:21] There is a precedent for this. [19:22] Yeah. [19:23] If you go all the way back to 2006 when Democrats won big in the House [19:27] and the Senate. [19:28] Shockingly. [19:29] Shockingly. [19:30] They were not expected to do so. [19:31] They started laying the groundwork then for the work that happened [19:34] during the first term of the Obama administration, [19:36] the Affordable Care Act. [19:37] They were only able to pass the Affordable Care Act, [19:39] which wasn't easy, frankly. [19:40] It was a fight. [19:41] It took years. [19:42] It was a fight. [19:43] There was a lot of compromise that had to happen. [19:44] But the groundwork was laid and they had a plan starting as early as 2006. [19:49] And so, my point for Democrats, I agree with you. [19:51] I think, as I talk to people out there, [19:53] they want folks to do something when it comes to the rent. [19:56] Like, they want to have a little bit more money at the end of the month. [19:58] Like, on child care. [19:59] That's all they're asking for. [20:00] The American people are not asking for too much. [20:02] No, they just want some help. [20:04] They just want you to do something. [20:06] And what is... [20:08] And I have a project that's coming out soon. [20:11] Okay. [20:12] Well, we talk deep tease. [20:13] I might know a little bit about them. [20:14] Yeah, yeah, yeah. [20:15] I've got a project coming out soon where I explore this whole thing. [20:17] Yeah. [20:18] But I think that what the American people are saying right now, [20:20] and especially if they hand Democrats the keys back to the House and the Senate, [20:24] they won't be looking for compromise. [20:25] No. [20:26] They will be looking for action. [20:27] And they are looking for Democrats to use their power in a way that is effective. [20:32] And my point in this piece is that Democrats aren't starting from scratch. [20:34] Like, remember of... [20:36] I talk bad about it. [20:37] Build Back Better, okay? [20:38] Yeah. [20:39] Well, the second part of Build Back Better was the care economy. [20:41] That's child care. [20:42] That's housing. [20:43] Yep, yep. [20:44] That's all the things that folks are talking about. [20:45] So there are... [20:46] Until Manchin killed it. [20:47] Well, Joe Manchin, Kristen Sinema, very problematic. [20:50] Yes. [20:51] So, just like there was a... [20:53] Now, this is not going to be comparable to the Project 2025, [20:55] because they worked on that for 10 years. [20:56] Right. [20:57] Okay? [20:58] So, do Democrats need the Project 2027? [20:59] Sure. [21:00] Are they going to have one? [21:01] No. [21:02] Okay? [21:03] But that should not stop the people from doing the work. [21:05] Do something. [21:06] Get ready to take power back, because when you get it, you got to move fast and hard and go. [21:11] And if you don't, 2028 is going to be real raggedy. [21:13] They don't want to. [21:14] I know they don't. [21:15] I know they don't. [21:16] They feel like it's an unforced error. [21:18] And it's... [21:19] He's not going to be removed. [21:20] So the question is... [21:21] So? [21:22] Right? [21:23] So? [21:24] This is the question that they're trying to figure out. [21:25] Is it... [21:26] Is it worth the pain in their eyes of going through the process? [21:29] You should be doing something in your lane, regardless of what them people in their lane is doing. [21:33] My therapist told me to stay in my lane and keep your head down and hustle, okay? [21:36] Have you been listening to that? [21:37] Yes, I have. [21:38] I have been in my lane. [21:40] Okay, I let some emails go by the wayside. [21:42] Y'all trying to email me and slack me last night. [21:44] I'm like, I have a show that's not my lane. [21:46] Okay, y'all working out without me. [21:47] Not today. [21:48] Not today. [21:49] But seriously, like, you cannot... [21:51] Sure, on... [21:52] When you're trying to get legislation passed. [21:54] But the thing about the impeachment is like an accountability mechanism. [21:58] Sure, is he going to be removed? [21:59] I don't... [22:00] Well, maybe. [22:01] Depending on what the city happens. [22:02] Depending on what he does. [22:03] We don't know. [22:04] Folks never thought the Epstein files are going to be released. [22:05] That's true. [22:06] You know what I'm saying? [22:07] That is very true. [22:08] If this is not an impeachable offense, what the hell is? [22:10] Yeah. [22:11] So I understand why the people out there in the country are like, [22:13] there's nothing we can do about the president? [22:15] Yeah. [22:16] And the reality is, no, not at this moment. [22:18] You must vote. [22:19] But if Democrats do get power back, I think they need to use it wisely. [22:21] And so I'm not saying open up some sham investigations, [22:24] but I think there's some real investigations that could be opened up. [22:26] Oh, there's a lot of questions to be had. [22:27] Okay, there's a lot of questions. [22:28] Yeah. [22:29] And maybe you will find something that rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor, [22:33] because that is the bar for impeachment. [22:34] And that also means whatever they decide it is. [22:37] A high crime and a misdemeanor is not a legal term. [22:39] It didn't used to be that way. [22:40] It is a political term. [22:41] Okay? [22:42] Impeachments used to be really rare up until... [22:44] The Clinton? [22:45] No. [22:46] Mr. Clinton. [22:47] It was rare. [22:48] I mean, they said it was a high crime and misdemeanor. [22:51] I'm not going to relitigate the blue dress, but we're going to move on. [22:54] We're being told to go to Coachella. [22:56] Go to Coachella. [22:57] Go to Coachella. [22:58] We're not going to Coachella. [23:00] It's real rag. [23:01] Why are we not going? [23:02] Because Beyoncé. [23:03] Yes, that's the only time. [23:04] That is the Coachella to have gone to, okay? [23:06] And Beachella already happened, so I won't be... [23:08] And I'm not going in the desert for nobody else. [23:09] Absolutely not. [23:10] Only if I can helicopter in and helicopter out. [23:12] Yes. [23:13] She, the other day, she asked me, why have I never taken an Uber helicopter? [23:16] An Ubercopter? [23:17] I did it one time in Cannes. [23:18] Look. [23:19] In Cannes. [23:20] This is when I was rich. [23:21] Back to Coachella. [23:22] It was last weekend, also this coming weekend. [23:24] And with everything else going on, to me, as I'm looking at it, [23:29] and the amount of money people are spending, [23:31] it feels very like Hunger... [23:33] Like, the capital, the Hunger Games, like, [23:36] fiddling while Rome is burning. [23:38] It's very... [23:39] I think people should have fun. [23:40] I like fun. [23:41] Yes, because we often talk about the joy, [23:43] and like, we got a life to keep from crying. [23:44] But is that... [23:45] I don't... [23:46] It just, like, the amount of money that goes into that, [23:48] it just felt off for me a little bit this time around for some reason. [23:51] I take you back to that movie. [23:53] You're like, which movie? [23:54] Yeah, I'm terrified. [23:55] The one about... [23:56] Now I'm blanking on the name of it. [23:57] Look at it. [23:58] But there was a movie, it's supposed to be about journalism, [24:00] really, but it's literally about the country is in a free-for-all. [24:04] Elections have been canceled. [24:05] Uh-huh, uh-huh. [24:06] And it's called Civil War. [24:07] Oh! [24:08] And it had mixed reviews, right? [24:09] It had mixed reviews, okay? [24:10] I'm understanding they were mixed reviews. [24:11] But one of the plot lines is that part of the country [24:14] is literally engaged in the Civil War, [24:16] and the other part, they are just on their farms in Missouri, [24:19] shopping, people going to the movies, going to festivals. [24:22] Yeah, yeah. [24:23] And so, I think that movie, Civil War, [24:26] was actually art imitating real life. [24:28] This is what happened. [24:29] There are a whole... [24:30] There's a whole lane of people that, like... [24:31] Be like this, cover your eyes and ears. [24:33] It's like, oh, I don't... [24:34] They're not affected by the high gas prices. [24:36] Like, they're not... [24:37] They're just like, oh, my God, [24:38] the jet fuel to my plane costs a little more. [24:40] It's like, well, wait, what's going on? [24:42] So... [24:43] Some of the tickets were $7,000. [24:45] It's crazy. [24:46] I would never pay for that. [24:47] $7,000 to see... [24:49] Not Beyoncé. [24:50] I don't get it. [24:51] Yeah. [24:52] And even Jay-Z. [24:53] No, nothing. [24:54] Solange, Blue Ivy, nobody. [24:55] Come on, now. [24:56] It's problematic. [24:57] You know who the headliners were? [24:58] I heard. [24:59] I don't know. [25:00] It was Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter. [25:02] Okay? [25:03] And Carol G. [25:05] They live stream it on YouTube. [25:06] First Latina, I think, to ever do it. [25:07] But the big acts go on very late [25:09] when you're on the East Coast, okay? [25:10] Because Coachella is on the West Coast. [25:12] And did I miss anybody saying anything about the war in Iran? [25:16] No. [25:17] Did I miss anybody saying anything about ICE? [25:18] No. [25:19] But I did see a lot of misinformation running rampant [25:22] about the fact that they paid... [25:23] They got you? [25:24] They did get me. [25:25] They did get me. [25:26] I thought that thing about paying SZA to show up at Coachella [25:29] in case Justin Bieber didn't show up, [25:31] SZA posted and was like, [25:32] actually, I don't know where this guy started at. [25:35] I'm in New York. [25:36] I'm not coming to this. [25:37] Good luck to all. [25:38] She's like, I wish everybody the best. [25:39] I'm not coming to this. [25:40] But there was nothing else. [25:42] Sabrina Carpenter, I was shocked that she said nothing [25:45] about anything, not even availed anything, [25:47] when she was very vocal online, [25:49] when the Trump administration tried to use her... [25:50] Not even tried, use her song in these videos [25:53] they were producing for the White House of social media. [25:55] So I just think that when you had one of the biggest stages [25:59] in culture, you should use your time wisely. [26:02] And what's interesting is, [26:03] I don't think it has to be as explicit [26:06] as what Cardi B did. [26:07] Agreed. Cardi B, [26:08] in her first stop for her tour, [26:10] she was talking about ICE. [26:12] Yeah. [26:13] Saying ICE is not welcomed here. [26:14] If ICE come in here, we gonna choke their asses. [26:16] I think there's an implicit aspect to it, right? [26:20] Like, you do not hear Beyoncé when she does performances. [26:25] Like, she just did the Cabo Carto tour. [26:26] She will be doing another tour. [26:27] We're all very excited. [26:28] But, like, she doesn't, like, go explicit with it all the time. [26:32] But she centered Blackness. [26:33] No, America has a problem. [26:34] Correct. [26:35] Well, what problem do you think it has? [26:37] Come on, Beyoncé. [26:38] And centering Blackness in the American flag. [26:40] Like, it can be implicit. It can be a metaphor. [26:43] We are Americana, too. Exactly. [26:44] It can be all of that. [26:45] But the idea to do none of it is always very interesting. [26:49] And again, that's why it feels very, like, [26:50] being in the Capitals during the Hunger Games. [26:52] Because there's as if none of this stuff is happening. [26:55] And I think you are allowed to create a world in which people feel safe. [26:59] But at the same time, they're gonna be leaving that world. [27:02] Coachella, it's two weekends, [27:03] and then everybody gotta go back to work. [27:04] Or whatever they do. [27:06] I don't know how these people have all this time to go to this concert. [27:09] They take off to go to Coachella. [27:10] Oh, yes. [27:11] They take off vacation to go to Coachella. [27:13] I hear about this. [27:14] I will just note, it is not lost on me that Coachella... [27:17] I mean, people think of Beyoncé at Coachella. [27:19] She was the first Black woman to headline Coachella. [27:21] It is a festival that is not a Black people of color festival. [27:26] It was thought of as a white people festival for a number of years. [27:30] And I think that Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter, [27:32] two huge stars. [27:34] Yeah. Also, Justin Bieber playing music on YouTube was very confusing. [27:37] Well, okay. Justin Bieber, look, he sold his catalog... [27:40] I guess. [27:41] ...up until 2023 to, like, somebody else. [27:42] So Justin Bieber doesn't make money off of his songs before 2023. [27:45] But then why is he playing... He played the baby, baby, baby... [27:49] He played a little bit of it, but the thing that he leaned in on was all his new music. [27:53] You got to catch it. The girls that get it got it. [27:54] Is there new music? [27:55] Yeah, because I'm not one of the girls that's supposed to get it. [27:56] But they could have used their privilege, okay, to say something. [28:00] And I think it's really anything, baby, anything. [28:02] Throw up some pictures of some kids. [28:04] Baby, baby, yeah. [28:05] That's what I'm saying, the implicit... [28:07] Honestly, maybe we're looking for too much. [28:09] We're asking certain people for too much. [28:10] Well... [28:11] But don't we always ask Black women for too much? [28:12] Well, don't they... [28:14] And then they do it. [28:15] And then we don't give them any credit. [28:18] Let's move on before we get in trouble. [28:19] They cancel us. [28:20] Walk away from Coachella. [28:22] Ground ourselves. [28:23] And we have a plan for that. [28:24] We have asked poet Cleo Wade to join us for the group chat. [28:27] Yes, thank goodness for Cleo. [28:29] We are taking a break, and she will be with us on the other side. [28:32] Hi! [28:34] Cleo, this is Eugene. Have you ever met him? [28:36] No, I don't think so. [28:37] No, we haven't, but I'm a fan. [28:39] Oh, thank you. [28:40] I'm a fan of yours, thanks to this one over here. [28:42] Did you guys know that when I saw Don Lemon in New Orleans [28:45] right after he did your show, he kept... [28:47] He was like, you know, he likes his little cocktail, [28:49] and he kept going like, [28:50] clock it at this party. [28:53] No, he didn't. Yes, he did. [28:55] He's like, yeah, I just clock it. [28:57] And I was like, it's a movement. [29:01] It's officially a movement. [29:03] Clock it. Don wasn't here clocking it. [29:05] He was. [29:06] Don wasn't here cussing, talking about they have [29:07] they rabid-ass minds. [29:08] He's just like, I am not on cable. [29:10] Anymore. [29:12] Clock it, Cleo. [29:13] He's like, I take my own iPad. [29:14] It's like when Beyonce did Lemonade. [29:16] Do you know? [29:18] Exactly. [29:19] That's his era. [29:20] Exactly. [29:21] Welcome back and welcome to Cleo Wade, [29:23] poet, artist, best-selling author, and activist. [29:26] She just published a new book called [29:28] In the World of Sun Rises, 365 Days of Heart, Soul, and Hope, [29:34] which we all need a little bit of nowadays. [29:36] That's very true. [29:37] Thank you so much for coming to the group chat, Cleo. [29:40] I love you. [29:41] Thanks for having me. [29:42] Very calm. [29:43] She literally talks like this in real life, [29:44] but Cleo's always just like, yes, [29:46] tell me what's happening in the world with your problems. [29:49] It's like, Cleo, my last lady. [29:51] She's like, that is a crazy bit. [29:54] Yes. [29:57] We need a little then. [29:58] Yes, that's what we have. [29:59] Okay, Cleo, this book is really, [30:01] it's like a daily devotional. [30:03] She's been talking to everybody about this book. [30:05] When I came back, okay, so I did Cleo's book launch in New Orleans. [30:08] She's from New Orleans. [30:09] And from the moment we were sitting down at breakfast that day, [30:12] she was opening up the book reading to me, [30:13] because I was telling her about my problems. [30:15] She's like, there's a section in the book for you about this. [30:18] And when I came back from the festival, [30:21] I was in my office with Eugene and our senior producer, Brittany Ruff, [30:25] and I'm just like, everybody needs this book, [30:27] because the times are so difficult. [30:30] Like, if you are just, if you are anybody that watches the news, [30:33] or you have mental health struggles, [30:34] or maybe you just got life struggles in general, [30:36] this is a book that helps you, like, center yourself. [30:40] Yeah. There's a lot of pages that, as I've gone through, [30:42] that have been really helpful. [30:44] Day 326 was like, I'm like, is one of my favorites. [30:49] Okay. [30:50] Because it feels like it touches on kind of the moment that we're in. [30:54] Essentially, it's like, if you believe in democracy, [30:57] it is easy to identify what and who threatens it. [31:00] And when I read that, I read that as Eugene, [31:04] and I took it as how I take it. [31:06] But when you write something like that, [31:07] and when you hear someone read that back to you, [31:10] how were you thinking about this moment and why this book now? [31:14] Cleo's like, let me go to 326. [31:16] I'm like, thank goodness I have a copy right here. [31:19] But the context of that sentence is also important [31:23] because on that page, it opens with the words, [31:26] when we have a personal ethos, we know who we are and what we stand for. [31:31] And that is really important. [31:33] And especially, you know, in the work that you all do, [31:37] where you are constantly trying to help people understand what is going on. [31:43] And in our personal lives, we have to really work on what we stand for as we see what's going on [31:51] and what we stand against. [31:52] And so, and I always say this, especially in political movements, [31:56] it's like, these people aren't teams. [31:58] You know, I can root for the Saints even in their losing season. [32:01] Right. [32:02] You know, I think especially we see this in the Republican Party where things turn and you're like, [32:07] but I have this kind of cult following towards this and I can't look at this person and say, [32:13] well, this person's actually against my personal ethos because I believe that every vote is equal to the next vote. [32:20] And so I think that a lot of what we're doing right now is we're almost giving away the idea of having our own personal values [32:27] and then allowing those to be public or political in our day-to-day lives. [32:32] Simone and I joke about this and there's a page in the book, it's like, [32:35] what is the me work and what is the we work, right? [32:38] Like the me work is, like, I... [32:40] I came back and told them about the me work, Cleo, and the we work. [32:44] I also told my therapist. [32:46] Yes. [32:47] Sure did. [32:48] And that page ends with the words when we are firmly rooted in our moral center. [32:53] And a moral center is something that is so important to have in this moment. [32:59] Because when you have someone like the president of the United States pretending to be Jesus or whatever else he does, [33:06] you live by a moral code. [33:08] Human beings have always lived by codes that then define what happens around them. [33:14] What is happening around you should not define you and what you believe. [33:19] You come in and you believe that there are higher powers, that man is not God. [33:24] You believe in worship. [33:26] You believe in spiritual principles. [33:28] You believe in the Ten Commandments. [33:29] You believe in these things that help us to then go into society and say, [33:34] actually, everything I'm building is based on my moral values. [33:37] Do you know? [33:38] And that's not necessarily religious values, but moral values. [33:41] I believe in peace. [33:43] And I think that's why when we're in these moments of strange controversy over even someone saying, [33:48] the Pope, I believe in peace. [33:50] That is not controversial. [33:52] And our morals belong in the conversation as drivers, actually. [33:57] Because our morals are the closest thing that connect our public space to our humanity. [34:03] See? [34:04] This is what I told you. [34:05] I told you. [34:06] It's crazy that it's so timely. [34:09] Yeah. [34:10] Right? [34:11] Because we didn't... [34:12] Who knew that the president was gonna attack the Pope this week? [34:14] Right. [34:15] Who knew he was gonna pretend to be Jesus? [34:16] Right, right. [34:17] And that's just one example. [34:19] But I just... [34:20] I know, right? [34:21] Not his team. [34:22] Not his team. [34:23] Not the people at the White House. [34:24] Not the Pope. [34:25] Not the Lord. [34:26] The Lord didn't know. [34:27] Not on Orthodox Easter. [34:29] I know. [34:31] I know. [34:32] I know. [34:33] What I love about this, and I mean, I called it a devotional because it is. [34:36] It's like, you don't have to be a religious person to be into what Cleo was talking about. [34:44] A moral center does not equate to religion. [34:46] Atheists that have morals. [34:47] Correct. [34:48] It's about who you are as a person. [34:50] And I think in these times, as people are so stressed out, like, you know, I was telling Cleo this the last time I saw her, the MSNOW audience, the people that watch our network, these are people that say that they are very stressed. [35:04] We have, I think, a deal with the Calm app, actually, for the people who watch MSNOW. [35:09] You can get a little cold and get you a little discount because people are stressed out. [35:13] Yeah. [35:14] And these times are very stressful, but in these times, I do think it's important to remember that there is more than this chaos around us. [35:20] Mm-hmm. [35:21] And that's going to help us get through. [35:22] Yeah. [35:23] Think about that. [35:24] And we are the sum of our beliefs. [35:25] Go ahead, go ahead. [35:26] Think about what communities are. [35:27] Mm-hmm. [35:28] It is a collection of people and their beliefs. [35:30] And so when we work on, you know, what do we believe? [35:33] And there's a part of this book where I say that hope is how we keep going. [35:37] The world has always been filled to the brim with beauty and tragedy. [35:41] Hope reminds us that we are worth it. [35:43] So when we think about what are we worth, I think we're worth democracy. [35:47] I think we are worth public kindness from people that we elect. [35:52] I think we are worth dignity and people who, you know, when they are dignitaries, they are behaving appropriately and respectfully. [36:03] I think we deserve for those in spaces of high visibility and leadership to be respectful to the women around them, to the people around them. [36:13] I think we deserve justice for women and survivors of assault. [36:18] We deserve these things, which is why we have to work on self-esteem, right? [36:22] Like we have to work on even the esteem we have for our own country. [36:26] Because you know how you're like, you see those memes that say, this is why we can't have anything nice or whatever. [36:31] And so it's like aliens probably drive a ride by Earth and lock the windows, you know, or lock the doors. [36:38] Correct. [36:40] And I, as much as I appreciate that joke, we are worth believing that it should be better than this. [36:46] And it can be if we all join in. [36:49] I hear you. [36:50] And I'm, I'm, they, I think it was the New York Times called you the, the millennial Oprah. [36:54] I'm here for it. [36:55] I love Ms. Oprah. [36:56] I'm, I'm, I'm, I think folks that are hearing what you're saying are, they're like, [37:00] oh yes, I get it. [37:01] But when you are trying to match energy, right? [37:04] Trying to fight fire with fire, as Democrats like to say. [37:07] When they go low, you gotta go toe to toe. [37:08] Yeah, exactly. [37:09] When you go low, maybe you go to hell. [37:10] You know, like there's a lot of questions. [37:11] And so, and so how do you keep that kind of moral, how should someone work on keeping that moral center [37:19] when they're exhausted, what they might look at as the opposition is so aggressive, is so negative. [37:27] It's, doesn't seem to have, like, you know, a lot of Democrats, when I talk to them, you probably think this is like, [37:32] there's no, there's no place that Donald Trump won't go when he goes low. [37:36] Like, he just keeps going. There's no bottom, a lot of Democrats often say to me. [37:39] So how does someone do the work you're saying, stay not exhausted, while also keeping their own centreness, oneness and morality center? [37:49] Well, you can't have any type of center, uh, when you're suppressing any feeling. [37:57] So if you're pissed, you should be pissed and you should be angry. [38:00] And anger is important. As long as anger doesn't turn to violence, anger is a healthy emotion. [38:07] It helps us evaluate a situation and it is often directing our moral center at what we believe is wrong. [38:13] So anger is important. Frustration is important. Exhaustion as information to rest. [38:19] You know, we are only as powerful as our ability to have restoration. [38:22] Um, and emotional information is always helpful until it is weaponized. [38:26] Jealousy is a helpful emotion. You can look at something and say, [38:29] I want what they have as long as it doesn't toxify into and they shouldn't have it. [38:34] They don't deserve it. That's the only time jealousy becomes unhelpful. [38:37] Other than that, jealousy is divine wisdom. [38:41] It is truly spirit coming through you and saying, [38:44] Oh my gosh, this is lighting you up. This is lighting you up. Amazing. [38:47] Take it, run with it, adjust your goals. [38:50] Jealousy is amazing. Anger is amazing. All of these things are important. [38:55] And so while none of us are jealous of Donald Trump, of course, [38:59] but there's probably Democrats that are. [39:01] They're jealous of his ability to drive messaging, [39:04] but the jealousy toxifies into like, and he shouldn't have that. [39:07] And instead, if you could look at that and say, I want that. [39:11] How could I have that? And that's important to me. [39:14] I wonder what that strategizing could look like. Do you know? [39:18] And so, because that is working with very naturally flowing, [39:22] clear emotional information. Right? And so... [39:26] Cleo could have been a therapist. [39:27] First... I feel like I'm in therapy right now. [39:29] Cleo could have been a therapist. I want to be very clear. [39:32] Because when she said emotional information is always helpful, [39:36] jealousy is helpful unless it is weaponized. That's a bar. [39:40] It's very good. That's a gym. It's very good. [39:43] But the point is you cannot have center where there is no clarity. [39:46] And whatever you suppress is something where you create murkiness, right? [39:50] You make it hard to see clearly what's happening [39:54] because you have all these things you don't want to see. [39:56] And so the second part of that is honesty. [40:00] You know, the hardest thing about the truth is it gets instant results. [40:03] So a lot of the time we don't seek honesty and then it becomes a value we're not personally holding. [40:10] So we don't even want to give honesty because we're afraid to get it in return. [40:14] Right? And so we need to... [40:16] She owns somebody's pew! She owns somebody's pew! [40:19] Cut this out. I don't want my husband to hear this part. [40:21] She owns somebody's pew! Oh my goodness! [40:24] Sean gonna rewind this back and be like, [40:26] maybe you just need to play that part of the podcast from Cleo. [40:28] Our husband's gonna be like, no, go listen to Cleo again! [40:31] Did you hear what Cleo said? [40:32] Oh my God. [40:33] Before we let you go, I wanna... [40:35] There's all this... I mean, you've done a bunch of work. [40:38] You're a poet, you're an activist. [40:40] We were talking, Eugene and I, earlier with the team [40:42] about all the different merch that you've been commissioned to do. [40:45] Fucking boat! T-shirts. [40:46] Yeah, the boat T-shirts. [40:47] But this book was called In a World of Sunrises [40:51] and the art on the cover is reminiscent of all of the different kind of... [40:56] It's like, this is your signature. [40:57] It feels welcoming, all the art that you do... [41:00] I painted the cover. [41:01] ...in the merch. She painted the cover. [41:02] Oh, wow. It feels centered. [41:04] Yeah, it does feel centered. Like, what? [41:06] I feel black, too. Very black. [41:08] It is black. She is black. [41:09] It feels very black. [41:10] Yes, yes. I guess my question is just, [41:12] how could you pull this book out? [41:15] How do you continue to pull the hope that you have out into the world [41:20] when so many crazy things have happened? [41:22] Like, Cleo lives in L.A. and she was affected by the wildfires. [41:25] You know what I mean? And through that time, though, she still created this. [41:29] Right, right. [41:30] I really do live in constant witness of miracles and I live in awe all the time. [41:36] And not only, and not exclusively, but I have, I mean, Simone, even our friendship. [41:43] I mean, we've been friends now for a decade and I've seen you grow and change and be, [41:47] and I've been at your wedding and I've been with you for so many moments. [41:50] And those things, like I'm so deeply in love with my friends and my family and, and all of these interpersonal relationships give me such kind of like strength and hope all the time. [42:04] And, and all of my goals are personal goals. [42:07] And then I get very lucky when they turn into professional ones also. [42:11] And so I think because I don't live so much in like a, I'm not always like, what's a transactional thing? [42:17] I feel really lucky to be on this podcast today and I get to come on because I'm Simone's friend. [42:22] Um, not because I like tried to network with her once, you know? [42:25] Yeah. [42:26] And so in my personal, I like go on walks outside and kind of like see the seasons change. [42:32] And I am a hippie. [42:33] This is where Simone's going to be like love, love, love, love, love. [42:38] No, I'm in awe. [42:40] Like I, I was biking through New Orleans. [42:42] And when you go through New Orleans, they have these ancient Oak trees that, and it almost feels like they're like hugging above you because they're so massive and they round over you. [42:49] And they're so impressive and you can't help, but have so much reverence for them. [42:55] And so one day I Googled how old they were and they're like 700 years old. [42:59] They're a thousand years old. [43:00] And I thought about all these trees have seen in the American South and all the, and they just sit there and they've been through wars and devastation and bloodshed and hurricanes. [43:11] And these trees are not afraid of the next storm. [43:13] And they're not even thinking about the next storm. [43:15] And so in that, I just thought to myself, how do I live in a way where like, I'm not thinking about the next storm because like today the sun is out and something beautiful is happening to at least somebody in my life somewhere. [43:29] And I'm grateful. [43:30] There's something on day 54 where you basically talk about what happened to you is still not happening. [43:35] And when I, when I, when I read that, what I thought about is the agency that people have in this moment right now, which is to fight back and to say to themselves and to the rest of the country is like, this is where I am going. [43:48] Okay. [43:49] I'm just going to read the sentence. [43:50] It says through presence, we can release the past. [43:53] This does not erase yesterday's experiences, joyful or terrible. [43:58] It just acknowledges that what happened is not still happening. [44:02] Sometimes we need to put it down. [44:06] Letting something go is not necessarily getting rid of it. [44:09] It's letting it be right. [44:11] So you can just, you can put it down so that you can focus on what is currently in front of you. [44:16] And too often we are just shackled to experiences that are no longer currently happening to us. [44:23] And that does not mean that they do not need tending to in some way, but they don't need to be centered if that's not helping. [44:30] If it is helping to center it, center it. [44:33] If it's not, put it down. [44:35] Know it's there. [44:36] Understand that there is a lot that travels with us. [44:39] Grief travels with us always. [44:41] Our hard times, our good times, our celebrations, gratitude, the awful stuff, the good stuff. [44:46] It is coming along for the ride. [44:48] It's kind of all packed in the car. [44:50] So like know that it's there and then just decide what you want to be intimate with, close to, or allowing to drive or fuel you. [44:58] And that distinction is important because that helps us determine where we actually want to go. [45:03] So that our stuff isn't telling us where to go. [45:06] We are deciding where to go. [45:08] Mm. Ciao. [45:09] Ooh, Cleo wave with that. [45:11] We have to say a very big thank you to Cleo. [45:14] We love you. [45:15] Thank you and goodbye to you. [45:16] We love you. [45:17] We're going to take a short break, folks. [45:19] Get your zen. [45:20] And then we're going to start a side chat, Eugene, where I'm going to give you a little sneak peek into my cruise situation coming up. [45:27] We'll be right back. [45:28] I feel one now. [45:31] Thank you, Cleo. [45:32] Welcome back to the side chat. [45:33] It's so centering. [45:34] You know what? [45:35] Cleo is always like that. [45:36] Literally. [45:37] Really? [45:38] She's like the friend. [45:39] It's like, damn, how you so insightful? [45:40] How is she? [45:41] She was just born this way. [45:42] Yeah. [45:43] I'm convinced. [45:44] I have my siblings make fun of me. [45:46] We tried to do my middle sister Jade. [45:48] We did a... [45:49] Jade is very in touch with herself. [45:50] Jade is very in touch. [45:51] She's very one with the earth. [45:53] Exactly. [45:54] I feel like Jade is very insightful. [45:55] What's this thing? [45:56] Not mediation. [45:57] Meditating. [45:58] We all had to meditate. [45:59] Are you a meditator? [46:00] No. [46:01] We tried to meditate and I got so bored after a minute. [46:03] I'm like... [46:04] She's like, this is why you have to do it. [46:06] And so it's unfortunate. [46:07] You need to refocus yourself. [46:08] I need to refocus. [46:09] Jade, Cleo, help me. [46:10] Greetings. [46:11] What are you up to? [46:12] You went to Ohio. [46:13] Oh. [46:14] Last weekend. [46:15] I was in a couple of places. [46:16] I was also in Indianapolis. [46:17] She's very busy. [46:18] She bought a dress from the street. [46:19] I did. [46:20] I did. [46:21] Shout out to Yellow Springs. [46:22] I'm trying to see if I can say, like, why I was in Ohio. [46:25] So I was in Ohio for this thing. [46:26] For a thing. [46:27] For this thing I went to go see with some people. [46:32] And one of the people at the thing was, like, Dave Chappelle. [46:35] Yeah. [46:36] Because, you know, he lives in Ohio. [46:37] He, like, bought a city or something? [46:38] A town? [46:39] Well, he's from this town in Yellow Springs. [46:41] He's from D.C., but he's also, um, he spent time in Yellow Springs. [46:44] Yeah. [46:45] Because his father taught at Antioch College. [46:46] Okay, yeah. [46:47] Which is, like, literally right in the middle of Yellow Springs. [46:48] I drove past it. [46:49] And, um, sitting there listening to Dave Chappelle, I was just like, wow. [46:54] Dave Chappelle is so good. [46:57] It wasn't a comedy set up thing. [46:58] It was more like a conversation thing. [47:00] An interview. [47:02] Well, no. [47:03] I'm not commenting. [47:05] But I just, sitting there, I was just like, damn. [47:08] Dave Chappelle is, like, very insightful. [47:10] And I think all the things he went through, particularly when he lost it all. [47:13] Mm-hmm. [47:14] Um, lost it all, it's relative. [47:16] He still has some stuff. [47:17] Yeah, because he's lots of money. [47:18] Yeah. [47:19] But what he went through, I think, had made him even more insightful. [47:22] Because I don't know if he, you know, now, he really felt like an elevated Black man [47:25] when I was sitting there listening to him. [47:26] Well, he's also older, too. [47:27] Yeah. [47:28] But I will say... [47:29] And a father. [47:30] He can shout out his wife a lot. [47:31] Smart. [47:32] Yes, yes, yeah. [47:33] The Chappelle show was very funny. [47:35] I find some of his things interesting. [47:37] But I think the... [47:38] Do you think Dave Chappelle is funny? [47:40] I do think Dave Chappelle is funny. [47:42] I do also think that Dave Chappelle punches down too much. [47:45] Like, I think his... [47:46] I don't know if obsession is the right word, [47:48] but, like, he focuses a lot on trans people, for example. [47:52] And I am one of those people that think you can make fun of most things. [47:56] But the question is, why? Why that thing? [47:59] So I think that is the question I would have for him. [48:02] So I would be interested to see when this conversation comes out. [48:05] I imagine that did not come up. [48:06] Uh, it did not. [48:07] Well, no, he spoke proactively about his clashes with different folks. [48:12] Oh, interesting. [48:13] He really did. And so, honestly, it was a really great conversation. [48:16] I was sitting next to, you know, our good friend DeRay McKesson [48:19] Yes, yes. [48:20] And our friend Maude. [48:21] Yeah. [48:22] And it was so crazy. [48:23] Black princess, African princess Maude. [48:24] Yes, African princess Maude. [48:25] Shout out to Maude Okra Hunter, Black Beauty Roster. [48:27] It was so crazy because my outfit that I was gonna wear, [48:29] I was like a little jean, oversized jacket and barrel jean. [48:33] We had breakfast with DeRay. [48:34] And DeRay was like... [48:35] And they hated it. [48:36] They were like, oh, we're about to go change. [48:37] And I was like, I'm wearing this. [48:38] DeRay was like... [48:39] I was like, DeRay, is this not okay? [48:42] So DeRay had me buying a dress out of parking lot [48:44] in Yellow Springs, Ohio. [48:45] It was cute, though. [48:46] Honey, that dress, I'm taking that dress on my cruise. [48:48] Very cute. [48:49] Someone on a cruise this weekend. [48:50] That is crazy. [48:51] It's spring break. [48:52] For the children. [48:53] I sure did. [48:54] My husband is not a cruiser, but my mother-in-law is, [48:55] and my son is, apparently. [48:57] Yes, so interesting. [48:58] He loves a cruise. [48:59] So we're taking him on a very luxury cruise. [49:00] I am not interested in being on a boat. [49:02] Okay, well, I'm gonna send you pictures from this boat [49:03] because this one looks fabulous. [49:04] Is this better than the other ones? [49:05] Very much so. [49:06] Oh, bougie boats. [49:07] Very much so. [49:08] It's a Royal Caribbean. [49:09] Where are you guys going? [49:10] I don't want to tell these people. [49:11] Oh. [49:12] I'm kidding. [49:13] We're going to the Bahamas and many other places on a boat, so... [49:15] I'm these people. [49:16] That's what you don't want to tell. [49:17] I'll tap in. [49:18] When I see you on Tuesday, it'll be my first day back. [49:19] Oh, love. Love. [49:20] You'll have a little tan. [49:21] Thank you guys so much for listening to Clock It.